You may have spent several weeks or even months searching for your dream student home, arranging viewings and visiting available properties. Now that you’ve completed the first step of finding your perfect student home, it’s time to get the final preparations in place to ensure that you’re fully prepared when the new university year rolls around.
This step-by-step guide will give you all the preparation tips you need.
Double-check everyone is happy
Many students opt to form a group household, so ensuring that every member of the house is on board and happy with the chosen property is important.
If someone is being a little quiet or less enthusiastic than others about the new house, make sure to ask them how they feel. Some people have a hard time expressing their opinions in groups, so it may be worth talking to the quieter members individually to double-check that everyone is happy with the decision.
That person might be you, and if so, speak up! It’s important to voice any concerns if you are not entirely happy.
Even if you are choosing to rent a property independently, there are many factors to consider, take a look at our previous blog here as we explore the topic further: https://www.studentdigz.com/blog/essential-factors-to-consider-before-choosing-a-property
Contact the letting agent to confirm
Once you’ve made your decision and you’re sure that everyone is on board, it’s important to inform your letting agent of your intentions. Informing your letting agent as soon as possible is recommended so that you don’t lose out on your dream pad. Your letting agent will then guide you through the next two steps.
Get the contracts signed
The next step is to get the contracts signed and arranged between your household and the letting agent. You will need to sign a Tenancy Agreement and in some cases guarantor paperwork.
Your new home can only be confirmed once the Tenancy Agreement is signed, so keep that in mind. When looking over the contracts, be sure that any minor fixes or improvements that were promised during the viewing (such as repainting the damaged walls) are listed on the contract. This contract will state exactly how much your rent will be every month, and the breakdown of what is covered within this price (including or excluding bills).
Arrange a move-in date
Your letting agent will then provide you with a timeframe regarding your move-in date. Depending on if the property is currently vacant or occupied, there may be a waiting period for the current tenants to leave the property, plus some added time for cleaning and maintenance work before you can move in.
Once you know when the property will be available, you can arrange a date that suits you and your housemates, and rope in some family and friends to help you with all of the heavy lifting.
Discuss bills between housemates
Unless all of your bills are covered in your rental agreement, you’ll need to arrange suppliers and billing for utilities such as; electricity, gas, water and Wi-Fi. Take some time to find the best deals and services for your area (for example, some broadband providers work better in certain areas) and start making arrangements.
There are also providers who will provide all the amenities you need under the same deal. Once you’ve sorted all your extra bills for the year, you need to divide the total between all of your housemates and give everyone a set amount and date they need to pay into the bill-paying account. Having this detailed in writing can ensure there are no late payments and avoid any bill disagreements.
Start getting ready!
Once the above steps have been followed, it's time to start making a checklist of what you’ll need to bring, buy and prepare for your new student home. If this is your first time away from home, then there’s lots to consider like pots and pans for the kitchen, bedding, bedroom decor and more.
The property inventory list will outline everything that is already provided, so make note of any extra’s you think you’ll need.
With these tips, you’ll be fully prepared for the big move into your new student home for an exciting year of university, full of fun, memories and success.
